Virginia Governor Tells General Assembly To Slow Its Roll: After a huge backlash and protests at the state capital, Virginia governor Bob McDonnell removes support for a bill that would force women to get “transvaginal ultrasounds” before having an abortion. Instead, he wants a slightly less invasive bill—just a plain old ultrasound. -2

D.C. Is For Cheaters: Apparently, D.C. has more cheaters than any other city—and it’s all you yuppies out there, at least according to the CEO of AshleyMadison.com: “First, most people who achieve a level of success do so from taking professional risks, that for the most part pay off, and this underlying personality trait may then lead these individuals to take personal risks as well.” Whatever. This is just another way of getting a website for cheaters in the news. -1

Groundbreaking: President Barack Obama and Mayor Vince Gray broke ground on the new Smithsonian African American History museum in a ceremony this morning. Clair Huxtable Phylicia Rashad hosted the event, saying: “I would like to see some stories I’ve never imagined. I’d like to see some stories that aren’t so well talked about but that have documentation to back them up.” +3

Capitol Suicide Bomber Couldn’t Make Up His Mind: According to an affidavit, Amine El Khalifi, 29, “spoke in December of wanting to attack a synagogue and Army generals. But within days, he was settling on a new plan to bomb a bustling Washington restaurant at lunchtime, the affidavit states. In January, he changed his mind, saying he wanted to blow himself up inside the Capitol as an act of martyrdom and chose the date of Feb. 17, authorities said.” Once he made his pick, the FBI apparently gave him a not-working bomb vest and then arrested him. -2

Yesterday’s Needle rating: 57 Today’s score: -2 Today’s Needle rating: 55